THE BRAND AUDIT OF ASHESI UNIVERSITY COLLEGE

ABSTRACT Ashesi University College is a Liberal Arts private university located in Berekuso, the Eastern Region of Ghana. Ashesi offers three undergraduate degree programs namely: Business Administration, Computer Science and Management Information System and is the only university in Ghana that operates on an Honor Code System. This is a system intended to build a hightrust community, to put students in charge of their ethical posture and the reputation of their alma mater. The main objective of this thesis was to assess the health of the Ashesi University College brand and to recommend ways by which the brand can improve. To achieve this, a brand audit was conducted to investigate how Ashesi`s clients (i.e. parents, alumni and students) perceived the brand and to identify the main sources of brand equity for Ashesi. This is because a consumer’s perception about a brand can make or unmake a brand. Both qualitative and quantitative research techniques were used to collect data for the study. Parents, alumni and students were interviewed to gain an indepth understanding of how they perceive the brand. A questionnaire for an online survey was designed based on the findings from the in-depth interview. The findings proved that Ashesi`s target generally have a positive perception towards the Ashesi brand. Ashesi`s sources of brand equity were identified under brand awareness, brand loyalty, perceived quality and brand associations. A S.W.O.T analysis was also done for the brand to identify its strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. Based on the findings, some recommendations were made to Ashesi University College. They were advised to consider expanding by introducing more undergraduate courses and to introduce postgraduate courses. It also recommended that Ashesi should improve upon their marketing strategies by advertising more on radio and television, introduce more entrepreneurship courses and find ways to update and interact with alumni more frequently. It was also recommended that Ashesi should include entrepreneurship courses from the beginning of freshman year to senior year to help improve student`s entrepreneurial skills.